The invention relates to an electric circuit breaker having a remote controlled static switch rated to carry and to break the load current.
A circuit breaker is generally equipped with a manual control handle for opening and closing and is capable to interrupt fault currents automatically. It does not readily permit the use of a remote control and its mechanism is not adapted to a great number of operations.
An object of the present invention is to remedy to these disadvantages and to permit the realization of a circuit breaker with simple and inexpensive remote control. In accordance with the invention, a static switch, in particular a triac, ensures the remote control, the circuit breaker mechanism and its contacts playing no role in this operation. The properties and advantages of static switches are well known but the possibilities for using them are limited by their high sensitivity to overloads which induce their destruction. It was already proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,687 to associate a static switch and a circuit breaker, the protection on fault, especially on short-circuit, being ensured by the circuit breaker, whereas the static switch permits a remote control. The response time of this known circuit breaker is too long to effectively protect the semi-conductor of the static switch and this circuit breaker cannot be used in distribution circuits. According to the invention, by using the arc switching to shunt the semi-conductor the circuit breaker protects the semi-conductor at the same time. The assembly can be placed in a common casing of standard dimension, which makes the connections and the mounting easier. The circuit breaker can be unipolar or multipolar, in particular for alternating current.